Magnetic recording tape for computer or instrumentation use is generally provided with reflective sense markers at the beginning and end of the tape. A typical sense marker consists of oriented polyester film which has been vapor coated with aluminum and then overcoated on the vapor-coated side with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. As applied, the polyester film protects the fragile vapor coat from the abrasion attendant to operation of the tape drive. Among problems associated with such sense markers is oozing of the adhesive under the cumulative pressure in winding a great length of the tape upon itself. Also, the thickness of the sense marker may be projected through a number of convolutions of the wound tape to produce what are called "sense marker impressions". These impressions or distortions in the tape tend to cause signal dropouts.